First Bank values your safety, security, and financial well being.
Education and awareness are of the utmost importance in safeguarding your financial and personal data. We encourage you to take precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones. Please consider following and sharing the tips below.
Protect Your Information
One of the best ways you can protect yourself against fraud is by safeguarding your personal and financial information.
If you receive a call, text, or email, you should never provide the following information as it could be a scam:
- Social Security number
- Account number
- Credit or Debit Card number or CVV
- Online banking information (username, password, verification code)
Fraudsters can use this information to conduct fraudulent transactions and potentially impersonate you. Further, if you receive a suspicious text or email requesting your personal information, do not click on any links or attachments, and be sure to delete and report it.
First Bank will never call, text, email, or send a chat requesting that you provide this information either.
- If you receive a message claiming to be First Bank requesting the above information, contact us right away so we can investigate.
- If you receive a suspicious call, text, or email that you believe may be part of a scam, or believe you may have fallen for a scam, contact us and we will assist you with next steps.
Mitigate Identity Theft
Identity theft occurs when someone illegally obtains and uses your personal or financial information without your knowledge, often leading to significant financial harm. Fraudsters steal Social Security numbers, bank account details, and credit card numbers to commit fraud or theft. The stolen information is often used to open new credit accounts, make unauthorized purchases, or apply for government benefits in your name.
- Notify all your banks and financial companies right away. Contact us so that we can help protect you from future identity theft and related fraud on your First Bank accounts.
- Contact any of the nationwide consumer reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to place fraud alerts on your file. Additionally, you have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report which prevents credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name. Read more about this step.
- If you believe your identity theft stemmed from a data breach, please reference our resource, 21 Tips for Breach Victims. This document includes additional steps you can take to protect yourself, such as changing your passwords, adopting multifactor authentication when possible, setting up credit report monitoring, turning off the compromised debit card, setting account activity alerts to notify you of potential fraudulent and suspicious activities.
- File a report with your local police department, which can help clear up your credit records later on, even if the perpetrator is not caught.
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Explore Various Types of Fraud
Check fraud occurs when an unauthorized person uses someone else’s checks, or check images, to make fraudulent purchases or withdrawals.
Learn how to identify check fraud red flags, plus ways to protect yourself.
The imposter uses this trust to deceive victims into sending money or sharing personal information
Other imposter scams

Additional Resources
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. This is the federal government's website where you can report fraud, scams, and bad business practices. You can also learn about the latest scams, plus get advice to help you avoid, report, and recover from scams.
Safe Money
Safe Money is a series of informational fact sheets developed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to help you recognize and avoid common financial frauds and scams. Consumer fraud impacts millions of Americans every year and often results in financial harm.
Explore Safe Money's complimentary fact sheets to learn about the most common types of consumer fraud, how each type works, the warning signs, and how to protect yourself and others.
AARP
AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource where you can learn how to proactively spot scams, get guidance from fraud specialists, and feel more secure knowing that they advocate at the federal, state, and local levels to protect you and enforce the law.
You can also look up a scam in the AARP Fraud Resource Center, with dozens of tip sheets on how to recognize and avoid common scams, including videos that break down how scams work.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Learn about some of the most common frauds and scams that the FBI encounters—as well as tips to help you stay safe and what to do if you're a victim.
Internet Crime Complaint Center
The Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, is the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. It is run by the FBI, the lead federal agency for investigating crime.

Over 80% of businesses have been targeted by payment fraud.
